TWISTED: THE SECRET WAR
by PRGedney
Summary: When a strange string of murders with the victims having a cross carved into their foreheads and sporting strange tattoos with a red and white cross on it, Danny, Jo and Lacey know that this is only the beginning. Who is the White Death; why is he here and what connection does he have with Lacey, Jo and Danny? WARNING: Explicit content.
1. Chapter 1: The White Death

Chapter 1: The White Death:

Danny Desai, Jo Masterson and Lacey Porter were watching the newscast of the latest murder of the White Death, as labeled by eyewitnesses. The woman was found with high concentrations of various deadly venoms and poisons in her bloodstream and a cross carved into her forehead. Her left arm sleeve was ripped open, exposing a strange white and red cross tattoo. Her face, frozen with her death, was one of pure terror.

"The latest murder perpetrated by the White Death has caused panic and fear amongst the populace," said a female reporter for the local news. "Despite the efforts of Chief Masterson and the police, they have ruled out Danny Desai, local pariah due to the murder of his aunt Tara Desai at his hands, as the culprit."

Danny laughed. "Your father really wants me back in jail, Jo," he said with a humorless chuckle.

Jo sighed and shook her head. This was the latest of a string of murders that had occurred over the past 3 weeks after the friends had talked at the graveyard. Over 23 people, ranging from teenagers to seniors, were found in various states, from poisonings to blunt force trauma to lethal stabbings to even bullets in vital areas; all of them had the same tattoo and all of them had the cross carved into their foreheads. This White Death was described as a tall man in white and red clothing with a large hood over his head and a black face scarf over the exposed half of his face. He left no fingerprints and no evidence to link him to the murders; this only frustrated and stressed the police out, especially Jo's father, the police chief, Kyle Masterson, though he was angry that he couldn't pin Danny on these murders at all. Jo was only angry at her father for trying to pin Danny on this and they got into many heated arguments about the subject; her mother, despite her best efforts, couldn't even get her two most precious family members in the same room together without them pissing each other off.

Lacey shook her head. "There has to be a reason for this guy to be killing these people. Danny," she asked Danny, who turned to regard her, "did your aunt have a tattoo like the victims?"

Danny's face darkened a moment and then cleared again; he said, "No." Picking his school bag up, he said, "I gotta get to class. Meet you at our secret base." With that, he walked off.

Jo and Lacey looked at each other. "He's hiding yet another thing from us," sighed Jo in an exasperated tone.

"He might know who this White Death is," replied Lacey. "Let's talk later," she added as her friend Sarita walked towards her. She ran to Sarita and they walked to class, leaving Jo alone in the courtyard of the school.

She felt a strange presence near her. Looking to her side, she saw a white-clad figure looking in her direction. Smirking, he gestured with his right hand, which had an extremely familiar ring on the right index finger. By the time she put two and two together, she looked at the man again, only to see no one there.

She couldn't believe it. There was no possible way that he could've survived that shed fire. She decided to tell Danny and Lacey as soon as school was over. Rico patted her on the back and they went to class; Jo looked again, only to find an Arch carved into her favorite tree. She caught up to Rico after pausing and they hurried to Biology.

* * *

It was strange for him: Seeing Jo again, after all the years of training and fight alongside his fellow Brothers and Sisters in the Order. The Templars were abundant in this community; it was places like this that they were able to thrive like a horrible bacterial infection, having the power to draw more and more people to their cause of World Peace through Order and Tyranny.

As an Assassin, he was bound by the Order's Creed to eliminate any Templar presence. Which is why he chose here, in his old home. Where he bonded with his cousin Danny Desai and his friends, Jo Masterson and Lacey Porter.

When his foster mother, Tara Desai, who adopted him when he was only 3 years old, found out that he knew her affiliations with the Templar Order, she locked him in her shed and set it on fire; she then cleverly staged it like an accident.

Lotus Saintcrow, at that time a 16-year-old genius, was supposed to have died in that burning hell.

He had other things in mind.

And now that he had returned, he had set himself to his work to eradicate all Templars in this small town.

For that was his job as an Assassin.

Watching Jo disappear into the school, he knew she had found out who he was the minute he showed his signature ring. Confident that she would tell the others, he began to free-run through the trees.

There was another Templar to be crossed off the list.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Review and let me know if you like it! Chapter 2 coming soon!

EVER

PRG


	2. Chapter 2: Love Triangle

Chapter 2: Love Triangle:

Danny and Lacey were entwined in Lacey's bed, their lips never parting at all. Somehow, Lacey had been able to rip Danny's shirt off, exposing his strong, lean and hairless upper body. Working at her bra straps, he kissed her neck passionately, making her moan with pleasure.

Suddenly, Danny's iPhone started buzzing. Groaning in exasperation, Danny groped for his phone while getting off Lacey and answered it. "Hello?" he asked with a tired voice.

"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?" asked Jo over the phone.

Looking at Lacey and mouthing "One minute," he turned back and said, "Nah, not at all; what's up?"

Jo paused for a minute. "You and Lacey should get to our meeting place," she replied with a worried tone. "It's pretty damn important."

Hearing the worry in her tone, he said, "I will." Hanging up, he turned to Lacey and said, "Get your shirt and your coat; Jo has something important to tell us."

* * *

Jo was sitting alone for the time being in their hideout. Looking around, she was nervous. She didn't think that Danny or Lacey would believe that the White Death was actually Danny's foster cousin, Lotus. He was supposed to be dead already. How could he have survived?

"If you keep your face like that, Jo, it'll freeze," said a familiar voice behind her. Whirling around, there was the White Death, his hood over his head, smirking.

Jo grabbed a stick and tried to whack him with it; the man extended a strange blade from his left bracer and knocked it out of her hand while slicing it in half. Retracting it back into his bracer, he lifted his hood and Jo was looking at a mildly-scarred Lotus, his blue-hazel eyes still bright and his unmistakable smirking face was still as cocky and brash as ever, though his short brunette hair was now long and in braids. He said, "Nice to see you again, Jo. My, my, have you grown," he added, looking at Jo's body intently.

Jo slapped his face for his lewd looking and Lotus laughed heartedly. "I guess your perverseness hasn't gone away, even though it's been 5 years," she said irritably.

Lotus shrugged. "If anything," he responded, "It's gotten worse." Chuckling at that, he grabbed a beam above him and started to do one-handed pull-ups, constantly switching hands in mid-air. "So tell me," he asked her with a calm tone; it was like he wasn't even trying, "What's been up with you and Danny?"

Jo froze a bit. "W-what do you mean?" she stammered.

Lotus laughed at her answer. "I thought so," he snickered, dropping down back onto the firm ground. "You've really fallen hardcore for my cousin, haven't you?"

Jo was blushing furiously. "… Yes," she finally answered. "I have."

"Big time, as I can tell. Got some bad news for ya, then, Jo," he replied, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's secretly dating Lacey."

"What?!" exclaimed Jo; Lotus quickly covered her mouth and hissed, "Quiet! You wanna attract attention from half the town? I'm currently a wanted criminal in your town, remember?"

Removing his hand, Jo whispered, "How can that be? If Danny loves Lacey—?"

"Correction: Danny's INFATUATED with Lacey and vice versa," corrected Lotus, pulling up his old chair back in the days before his so-called death in that shed fire and sitting in it. "Still in good condition, even though it's been a few years since I last sat in this," he observed, rocking back and forth in it. "Cool shit." He turned his attention back to Jo, who had pulled up a stool and sat down across from Lotus. "He doesn't know this yet, but he's actually in love with YOU than Lacey."

"Really? How so?"

"Please, sista; the way he talks to you, his facial expressions, how he acts around you, his body language: He's totally falling for you. After all," he added, testing the blades that were hidden in his strange-looking bracers out, "You were the only one who defended him after all these years."

Jo realized that that last part was true. She was the only one that truly believed in Danny at first; the only one who really believed in him. But how could that translate into love?

"If my dad found out-" she started.

"He would disown you?" Lotus scoffed. "If he did, he would have failed as a father. Between you and me, I never liked Chief Masterson to begin with. Oh! That reminds me." He pulled out a strange-looking Android phone and opened an encrypted video file. "Your friend Rico? Yeah. He's crushing on you big-time; enough to aid your dad with putting Danny back in jail."

"What?!"

Opening the video file, he put up the volume to max. Jo saw Rico talking to her dad from a camera in his office. "I saw Danny's mom throwing something into the river. I couldn't get a good glimpse at it, but it was glinting. It looked… Like a necklace."

The video ended; Jo's face was pale. She couldn't believe it. How could he?! She looked at Lotus, asking incredulously, "How the hell did you get that?"

"Being part of my Order gives me a LOT of benefits." Putting his phone away, he leaned forward and said, "So it's safe to assume that Rico's plotting against Danny to get him back in jail in order to get him out of the picture. With Danny safely back in jail—."

"No." She shook her head in denial; Rico wouldn't do this just to get with her. There was no way!

"He'll be the one to comfort you on your dear friend's return to prison—."

"Stop it, Lotus." Jo put her hands to her ears; she didn't want to hear this at all.

"And you'll fall for him and the both of you will live happily ever af-!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Jo roared; Lotus was taken aback by this violent outburst. Jo felt tears going down her face; Rico had betrayed her trust completely. The only thing that bothered her even more was the fact that, even though she remembered all the interactions between him and Danny and all their conversations about him, she hadn't realized it sooner.

Lotus got up and kneeled next to her; rubbing her back comfortingly, he said softly, "I know you've felt this way before. I know that I've felt it too: At the hands of my own foster mother."

Jo looked up, her face red with tears. "What do you mean?" she asked incredulously.

Lotus was about to answer when he received a sharp blow to the back of his head. Sprawled out on the ground, Danny grabbed him by the hair and exclaimed, "Get away from-!" He froze at seeing his cousin's face, smiling at him.

"… Lotus?" inquired Lacey.

Lotus grinned. "Hi, everyone," he said gleefully. "Time for some lessons."

* * *

Thanks so much! Let me know what you think through reviews!

EVER

PRG


	3. Chapter 3: Revelations

Chapter 3: Revelations:

Danny let go of Lotus, his face showing a look of surprise and incredulity. Watching Lotus get up and dust his white and red clothing off, he asked, "How?"

"How am I not dead? How am I standing here like a phantom of your past? Danny, please," responded Lotus while sitting back down in his chair, "You should know it takes a LOT more than a fucking shed fire to kill me." Looking at Lacey, he smiled pleasantly. "Lacey," he said, getting up and holding his arms out for a hug. "How are you?"

Lacey stepped back a bit, still in shock. Lotus looked a bit disappointed; he always got hugs from Lacey back in the day. Regardless, he could understand why. Sitting back down, he beckoned them, "Take a seat, everyone. Please."

Slowly sitting down, the three friends looked at Lotus intensely. What was he going to tell them all?

"Let's get straight to the question you all want to ask me so badly: Yes, I am the White Death and yes, I killed all those people. There IS a reason why I did it though, Lacey," he added as Lacey began to ask a question, "If you'll let me explain, I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Go ahead," said Jo, irritated. "Tell us the whole story."

Lotus leaned forward. "After I escaped that goddamned burning shed, I was found by these people in white with hoods over their heads. They took me in and nursed me back to health, then, seeing that I desired vengeance, they started to train me in the ways of the Assassins.

"The Assassin Order has been around for two thousand years," he continued. "Our rival order is the Templars: Their mission is to rule the world through Order and Tyranny. We fight against them in order to preserve all humanity's inalienable rights."

"Wait wait wait," interrupted Jo, raising her hand in a stop gesture. "Do you mean the Knights Templar? They were disbanded after the final Crusade."

"Officially, yes. But they still existed and began working underground." Lotus' look was serious now. "I know that Tara was part of the Templar Order. She was supposed to find something very important here."

"What?" Danny was confused. "What could possibly be so important that the Assassins AND the Templars are waging a secret war inside this town?"

Lotus was silent. "Have you ever heard," he said after the moment of awkward silence, "Of the Apple of Eden?"

"Yeah. So?"

"It exists. And there's more than one. This is just ONE Piece of Eden."

"Huh?"

"This I will save for another time. All I can say now is that this Apple has the power to control the minds of all humanity if it falls into the wrong hands." He got up and walked to the opening in their little hideout. "If you guys want to find me, I'm near the hideout. Find the Arch and look up." With that, he ran out.

Lacey, Jo and Danny all sat back; Lotus had raised more questions than brought answers. "If this Apple... This Piece of Eden exists," speculated Jo, rubbing her face, "why would it be hidden here? And where could it be?"

"Maybe Tara knew. Maybe that's why she tried to kill Lotus," responded Lacey. "Because he found out her intentions."

"Danny," began Jo, but Danny had slipped out. Sighing, she said, "He evaded us yet again."

"C'mon." Lacey got up and Jo quickly followed. "We have to get out of here."

With that, they exited the hideout.

* * *

Thanks so much! Chapter 4 coming soon!

EVER

PRG


	4. Chapter 4: The Body Count Rises

Chapter 4: The Body Count Rises:

* * *

Tim Robinson was hurrying home. It was 11 at night and he had just gotten off of work, seeing as how he was working overtime. He knew that the White Death would come for him.

He WAS a Templar, after all.

As he raced home, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a flash of white coming at him. Sprinting away, Robinson tried to get to safety; the White Death caught him, however, and pulled him into a nearby alleyway. Beating him severely, the Assassin held up a metal pole that he grabbed nearby and aimed it at Robinson's head. "Please," Robinson pleaded, his swollen eyes flowing with tears, "I have a family. Don't do this."

"You should've thought about that before joining the Templars," hissed the Assassin before swinging the pole; Robinson's world went black.

* * *

Lotus knelt by the body of Tim Robinson and carved the cross in his forehead; he then closed his eyes with a sweep of his hand and said in fluent Latin, "_Ut opera tua non inpune in interitum. Requiescant in pace_ (May your deeds not go unpunished in the afterlife. Rest in peace)."

Getting up, he pondered how Danny, Jo and Lacey were doing. He worried about them constantly; it was only natural, seeing as how he was like their older brother.

Suddenly, he heard his phone ring. He took it out and saw that he had a text message from Rico, who had come to know him through Jo and the both of them were helping all three of the friends out.

Look at this, Lotus, the text said. There was a video attached to the text. Curious, Lotus opened the video attachment.

Immediately, his face darkened with rage. He held his phone in one hand and crushed it. Throwing the phone into a nearby garbage pail, he shook with fury.

Someone obviously did this on purpose.

And he was going to find out who.

* * *

Doug was walking away from the school, looking around nervously. He knew Jo, Lacey, Danny AND Rico were pissed off at him; he was trying to not get caught at all.

It wasn't his fault: He was intimidated by Bekka to send that video to everyone in the school. Still, that probably wasn't gonna help him out at all.

He was dead. He knew it.

As he walked, he suddenly felt that he was not alone. Turning around, there was a tall man in a white hoodie with the hood over his head, covering most of his face in shadow. "Doug," he called in a calm yet icy voice. "We need to talk."

Doug ran as fast as he could, but the man was way faster; grabbing him by the shoulder, he threw him to the ground; as Doug tried to get back onto his feet, the man promptly lifted him two inches off the ground and pinned him against a nearby tree. Doug tried to struggle, but the man grabbed his head and bashed it against the tree; Doug could feel blood running down his neck.

He was used to being beaten up by the jocks; this wasn't a bully beatdown, though.

This guy was going to kill him if Doug didn't do what he wanted.

"I heard you were the one who sent that mass text with that video file attached," the man snarled, pushing his back deeper into the trunk of the tree.

"Please, man," pleaded Doug, shaking his head, "I didn't have a choice; I was intimi-GAH!" He felt the guy's hand squeezing his neck.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" the man growled, his hand slowly squeezing his windpipe. "You had a choice; you were just too weak and pathetic to do the right thing. Now listen to me, you worthless sack of pus," he added, squeezing harder; Doug was slowly going blue in the face, "You WILL apologize to the school; you WILL beg for forgiveness from Danny, Jo, Lacey and Rico and you WILL subject yourself to the mercy of the school board. If you don't," he added in a quiet yet chilling voice that made Doug's blood run cold; a blade suddenly extended from his left wrist. He said in a deadly tone, "I will use this hidden-blade to tear your throat open and watch you bleed to death from the hole in your neck. Am I clear?"

Doug nodded with all his might; he was pissing himself out of pure terror.

The man retracted his strange blade, grabbed Doug's head again and Doug's vision went black.

When Doug came to, the man was gone. Feeling the back of his head caked with blood, he shot up and ran with all his might.

He never expected to have such a terrifying experience.

Especially from the White Death.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Chapter 5 Coming Soon!

EVER

PRG


	5. Chapter 5-1: Shit Hits the Fan:

Chapter 5-1: Shit Hits the Fan:

* * *

"Good-bye, Danny," whispered Jo as she walked away from Danny Desai. Kobius was standing in the shadows, looking on.

Danny was distraught. Kobius felt bad for him. He's been through so much and his lies have gotten him friendless. Even though he was assigned to the Desai case, he couldn't help but think about everything about it.

The Mayor of Green Grove and that woman… Something wasn't right about them. They were trying TOO hard to send Danny back in jail, which made no sense; they were supposed to be about solving the case, not pinpointing on one person. As much as he and Lotus didn't like Chief Masterson, they had to agree that he was doing the right thing.

And that murder weapon… The fingerprints were put on there a week ago; thanks to his friend in the FBI, he could prove that the murder weapon was fraudulently created to implicate Danny. He was planning on showing them and then having that woman arrested for messing with the case.

He got a call from a restricted number. Picking it up, he said, "Hello?"

"Koby," exclaimed Lotus over the phone, "That woman and the Mayor… They're Templars. They want Danny out of the picture so they can get to Jo."

"What? Why? What's so special about the Masterson girl?"

"She's descended from a bloodline that has the ability to wield Pieces of Eden without being corrupted by them. I wish I could explain more, but you have to trust me, Koby. Stall them at any cost. I need to organize my Assassins." The line went dead after that.

Koby immediately called Chief Masterson. "Kyle," he began, "I have some news for you…"

* * *

Thanks for sticking with this series for so long! Part 2 of Chapter 5 coming soon!

EVER

PRG


	6. Chapter 5-2: The Plot is Revealed

Chapter 5-2: The Plot is Revealed:

* * *

Mayor Rollins was sitting at his desk, looking over his paperwork. It was 10 at night and he was tired.

He put the paper he was reading down and rubbed his weary eyes; looking at a secret drawer on his desk, he opened it with a strange key. The drawer popped out and in it was his Templar Captain necklace.

Picking it up, he ran his finger along the cross and closed his eyes, remembering the day he was given this necklace, 5 years to the night…

* * *

_"Rollins," said the cloaked man in a deep and creepy voice as Rollins bowed to him, "I have your Captain rank ready for you. You have only one requirement."_

_"Anything, Lord," responded Rollins, not looking up. _

_The man knelt in front of him and grabbed his face with a clawed hand. Rollins looked into the man's eyes as he said, "Keep an eye on Joanne Marie Masterson. She is crucial to our plans. Make sure nothing gets in our way of having her."_

_Rollins nodded. "As you wish, my Lord," he accepted._

_The man in robes let go of Rollins' face and stood back up. He draped the Captain necklace around Rollins' neck and turned away from him. "Go." It was an order._

_Rollins stood up and walked out._

* * *

Clenching his fist, he knew that the detective he hired would get the Desai boy back in jail. She was good at her job after all.

* * *

Lotus looked at Mayor Rollins through his office window. The necklace confirmed what he already knew: The Mayor himself was a Templar, and a pretty high-ranking one at that. No wonder why he didn't trust him at all.

He turned the lights off remotely and snuck in. As Rollins pulled a gun out of his drawer, Lotus came behind him and said, "Uh uh uh." His hidden-blades around his neck, he added, "Put the gun down."

Rollins slowly put the gun back in the drawer and then tried to alert security. He pressed the button, but Lotus laughed. "I took the liberty of disabling all your security in this room, Mayor. It's just you and me." Sitting on the desk, Rollins spat at him, "Assassin scum."

"Templar shitbag," retorted Lotus. "Tell me. Why are you so interested in Jo Masterson?"

"She's instrumental to our plans to take over this world."

"Really? How so?"

"Her bloodline has been able to wield the Pieces of Eden without being corrupted by them."

"Huh." Lotus jumped off the desk and moved to the window. "So that woman you hired. I'm guessing she's a Templar too?"

"Been one for a few years," Rollins replied. "She's been in on this for the longest time."

"Did she kill Regina then?"

"Oh, heavens, no. It was our Lord that killed her."

Lotus turned around to regard Rollins. "Your Lord?"

"We answer to him directly. He wants Jo specifically."

"Ah. So he killed her to keep her quiet eh? I'm guessing Regina wanted to tell Danny everything?"

"As I recall, she said she was only doing this because she wanted to help Danny out."

Lotus closed his eyes. So that's why she died: She was learning everything she could about this conspiracy so she could fill Danny in on the whole thing. "Was it really necessary to kill the poor girl?"

"Of course. She was going to endanger the whole operation. We needed to silence her."

"Hmm…" Lotus paced around the room and asked, "One last question: What will happen once you get that Piece of Eden?"

"THAT'S something I won't tell you."

"Well. Thank you for the information. Too bad you're going to die now."

"Really? Am I now?" Rollins pointed to a hidden camera. "If you do anything to harm me, you'll be caught on camera and arrested so fast you won't have time to even extend that hidden-blade of yours."

"Well guess what, dude?" He pointed to the coffee Rollins was drinking and said, "I don't have to."

Rollins' eyes went huge. He spat out the coffee and exclaimed, "What did you do to it?!"

"Spiked it with a special poison I invented myself: Untraceable, incurable and totally random. The best part is that you won't even feel like you're dying. It might be years before you die. Or minutes. Perhaps even seconds. But you will die. That's a death you're worthy of, Mayor Rollins: Knowing that you're going to die, but not knowing when. Now I've gotta go. TTFN!" With that, he jumped out of the window.

Calling up Koby, he explained what happened and then ran to organize his Assassins.

* * *

Thanks so much! Chapter 6 coming soon!

EVER

PRG


	7. Chapter 6: A Town Torn Asunder

Chapter 6: A Town Torn Asunder:

* * *

As Kyle Masterson, Chief of the GGPD, got off the phone with Kobius, he looked at the woman detective and said, "Pull over."

She laughed, saying, "Why should I?"

"Pull over, now!" It wasn't a request; it was an order.

All of a sudden, one of the car wheels was blown up and they swerved into a railing; the woman got out, only to be grabbed from behind by the White Death himself.

The police force got out of their cars and aimed their weapons at him. "Let her go, son," said Kyle cautiously. "We don't want to hurt you."

The man raised his left hand and made a strange signal; all of a sudden, the police force was surrounded by people of various ages in white-and-red hooded clothing with weapons aimed at them. They outnumbered the police 3 to 1.

"I suggest you put your weapons on the ground before you all get hurt," retorted the White Death; a strange blade extended from his left bracer and he held it against the woman's throat.

Kyle looked at his cops and detectives and ordered, "Do as he says, everyone. No reason for more bloodshed."

The police slowly put their weapons onto the ground and the hooded people quickly moved in and removed them. One of them (A girl around the age of 19) looked at a female cop and punched her, sending her into the ground.

She proceeded to curbstomp her when the White Death roared, "Enough! At ease, Assassin!"

"This woman made my life hell, Captain Desai-Saintcrow!" bellowed the female Assassin, but the White Death exclaimed, "AT EASE!"

Spitting on the cop, the Assassin went back to her original spot.

"Wait." Kyle remembered that name. Saintcrow. "You can't be…"

The White Death removed his hood and there was Lotus Desai-Saintcrow, his face scarred yet stronger than ever. His eyes were filled with a burning purpose. "Hello again, Mr. Masterson," he said. "Long time, no see."

"You're supposed to be dead, Lotus!" Kyle still couldn't believe his eyes.

"As if a goddamn shed fire would kill me, Masterson. I'm stronger than THAT." He added, "This Templar is going to die and there's nothing you can do about it. Just like the Mayor."

"What did you do to Mayor Rollins?!" exclaimed Kyle; his cell started ringing. Picking it up, he asked, "Hello?"

"Chief Masterson? It's horrible! The Mayor just collapsed out of nowhere! He's not breathing and he doesn't have a pulse!"

Kyle was in shock. Turning to Lotus, Lotus grinned. "Hey, I wasn't there," he said simply. "You can't blame ME for his death."

Hanging up the phone, he asked Lotus, "Why, Lotus? Why?"

"Why am I standing here with so much blood on my hands? I'm just doing my job: Killing Templars and preserving the rights of humanity, Masterson. Not to mention protecting your daughter from a REALLY evil guy. See, she has an… Ability that the Templars want. We're protecting her from being captured by them."

"Let the woman go, Lotus," warned Kyle. "You're making it worse for yourself."

Lotus laughed in disbelief. "You honestly have no clue what the fuck's going on in this town, do you?" he laughed. He then ripped the woman's neck open and let her fall to the ground; he coldly watched her bleed to death.

Kyle looked at him incredulously. "You just killed her," he stammered. "Without any hesitation or mercy. Not even a look of pity or remorse."

"Why should I feel remorse for a person who was trying to control all of humanity?" Lotus snapped back.

All of a sudden, another Assassin ran up to him. "Captain!" he exclaimed, out of breath. "The Templars! They're making their move! They're razing all of Green Grove!"

"No," whispered Lotus. Looking at the smoke plumes that were billowing from the edge of Green Grove, he turned to Kyle and yelled, "You wanna save your town? Follow us then!" Turning to his compatriots, he roared, "Let's go, guys!"

The Assassins threw the police their weapons and disappeared into the dark.

Kyle looked at his police force and said, "Well, what're you all waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

Lacey and Pheobe were running to Johnny Cake's, the hangout of all Green Grove High students, as fighting broke out in the streets. Stores, houses, apartments were on fire; cars were exploding left and right and people were getting caught in the crossfire.

Danny ran up to them with an AK-47 in his hands and roared, "Get down!" They ducked as Danny let off a round of bullets; Lacey heard a grown man scream and them a sickening thud as a body fell to the ground.

A woman with the Templar cross on her arm grabbed Pheobe and tried to drag her away; Lacey yelled, "No!" as she struggled against the woman. Danny saw what was going on and swung the butt of his weapon into the woman's face, knocking her onto the ground; pleading with him, he fired a few rounds into her; she screamed and then fell silent.

Lacey was traumatized. "Danny," she cried, "What is going on?!"

"The Templars and Assassins are fighting," he replied. "The Templars are after Jo. Have you seen her?"

"We were going to find her at Johnny Cake's!" exclaimed Pheobe as another explosion sounded and a screaming man covered in flames flew into a pile of scrap metal, impaling himself on the spikes. They stared for a second and then Phoebe continued, "We thought she might've gone over there!"

All of a sudden, a huge explosion sounded and multiple high school kids ran out of Johnny Cake's; Scott and Archie were covered in shrapnel. As Lacey, Phoebe and Danny ran up to Archie, he turned to Scott, who was already on the ground and not breathing. Archie turned back to them and said to Danny, "Looks like karma caught up with me, Desai. I'm sorry, man." Crying, he added, "Sorry for everything."

"Yo, hey, man," replied Danny, grabbing him and keeping him upright, "You're gonna be fine, dude. I was never really angry to begin with. Just sad. Just stay with us."

"Is Jo in there?!" exclaimed Lacey.

Archie weakly shook his head; he looked like he was slowly going into darkness. "Nah, man. But Sarita is in there. She hasn't come out yet."

"Sarita," whispered Lacey, running into the ruins of Johnny Cake's. "Lacey! Wait!" bellowed Pheobe, running after her.

Danny looked at them, then Archie grabbed his shirt. "I'm going to Hell for what I did to you, man," he gasped. "I'm sorry, bro."

Danny felt his eyes water. "It's okay, man," he replied, "Just conserve your energy. We'll help you."

"Nah, I'm retiring from the team here, dude," he said, laughing weakly. "I only wish I hadn't ever done what I did to you." Grabbing his shoulder, he added, "You could've been my replacement." And with that, he died.

Danny let him down and wiped his eyes, then heard a pained cry from Johnny Cake's. Running into the store, he saw Lacey crying over Sarita's dead body while Phoebe was trying to keep herself from losing it. Sarita looked serene.

Danny felt his cell phone vibrate and looked at the number. Picking it up, he asked, "Hello?"

"Greetings, Desai," responded a creepy voice that had a hint of sadistic glee in it. "I'm the leader of these Templars and you've failed in protecting Jo. We have her." And with that, the phone line went dead.

Danny immediately called Lotus. "Lodie!" he yelled. "They got Jo!"

* * *

Jo looked at the mutated man circling her. "I guess you're in charge of these guys," she said.

"Excellent observation," praised the man, clapping. "And I guess that Lotus told you why we want you?"

"You know him?" asked Jo, turning to him.

The man showed her his right arm, which was a robotic arm, and replied, "You could say we've crossed swords before." Turning to a torture table, he said, "I guess it's time to break your will." Picking up a heated blade, he set it on her naked thigh and ran the edge into her leg, making her scream in agony. "This'll be fun," he laughed.

All of a sudden, Lotus burst into the room and knocked the man into a wall. He set Jo free and yelled to two more Assassins, "Get her out of here NOW!" as explosions sounded around the compound. The last thing Jo saw was Lotus and the mutant fighting like demons before her vision went black.

* * *

Jumping back, Lotus panted. "Tylor," he snarled as the mutated Templar Lord Tylor Fuchador laughed in glee. "Seems I left quite a mark on you."

"Face it, boy!" he roared, coming at him again. "I've become too much for you!"

They exchanged blows again and again; Lotus was slowly losing ground. He then saw an explosive container near them and knocked him back into the valve which burst off, spraying propane gas into the room. He threw a delayed explosive dagger into the wall above it.

"Hah!" mocked Tylor. "You missed!"

"Did I?" asked Lotus with a cocky tone.

Looking at the dagger and realizing what it was, he whirled his head to where Lotus had been standing and saw that he had just got up and disappeared onto the surface. Closing his eyes, he bellowed, "DAMN YOU!"

Lotus nearly flew as the shockwaves of the explosion shot out. Smashing his injured body onto the ground, he turned and saw the burning compound before getting back up and moving back down into the town.

* * *

Danny, Lacey, Jo, Rico, Phoebe and Kobius were standing together on a cliff that overshadowed the burning town. Jo was in a blanket and baggy clothing but was still shivering. Phoebe rubbed her back soothingly and Jo turned and smiled.

An Assassin came up to Jo and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Masterson, but Tyler Lewis is dead. He didn't survive his wounds."

Jo cried into Rico's shoulder and Rico looked stunned; Pheobe rubbed her back and Lacey and Danny gathered around.

Lotus came up to Kobius and exhaled wearily, saying in a tired voice, "What a night."

"Huh. THAT'S an understatement, my old friend," replied Kobius, who looked into the distant horizon. He shook his head and asked, "All this death, all this destruction… Just for a gold ball?"

"It's important to the Templars' plans and ours. They'll do anything to get it." Lotus sighed. "Seems that this war will continue here until the Apple is recovered."

"Well we need to find it, then." Jo looked determined. "Together."

Lotus nodded, smiling. They saw the blood red sun coming up; Phoebe asked, "All of this… It's only the beginning isn't it?"

Lotus nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the sky. "It's just the beginning."

And the sun, although blood head, had never been brighter.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! This is the end of this fanfiction; as soon as the next season of TWISTED comes out in January, I'll release a new fanfiction that begins where this one left off!

Thanks again!

EVER

PRG


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